Weight: Males weigh up to 1,300 pounds. Females usually weigh between 600-800 pounds. The common eland is the second largest antelope species. The giant eland is the largest, reaching up to 2,200 pounds.

Length: 7-9 feet.Birth: Gestation period of approximately nine months leading to birth of a calf, which nurses for several months.

Now you know: Common elands have been domesticated for meat, milk and hides. Milk produced by the common eland is higher in fat content and can be preserved longer than milk from a dairy cow. Common elands, which travel in herds up to 500, have a tan coat with a series of vertical white stripes and distinctive spiraling horns that can reach three feet in length. Elands are relatively slow runners, but can maintain a 14-mph trot indefinitely. They are great jumpers. The male has a larger flap of loose skin below the throat, called a dewlap, which distinguishes it from the female. The species produces a clicking noise that is used as a form of communication and can be heard from a mile away. The sound is believed to be the result of tendons and joints rubbing together in the animals’ forelegs. It could also be produced by the two halves of its hooves snapping together.

Protection status: Not endangered.

Detroit Zoo information: 248-541-5717, www.detroitzoo.org.

Editor’s note: Animals of the Zoo is a weekly series. Next: Aardvarks.